It wasn’t a bad offer. “That’s not how I wanted to lose my virginity…”
He shook his head slightly. “Well, now I bought it for a hundred million—and you’re giving it to me. I own all of you, from head to toe. I will fuck you when I want, dress you how I want, and do whatever I damn well please.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter and stared straight ahead, his jaw tense.
I was still covered in his jacket, and his smell enveloped me. The fabric was soft against my skin, and despite what he’d just said to me, I felt safe. “That’s fair…” If Conway hadn’t saved me, I’d be facing a much worst fate. He saved my life as well as my dignity. Even if I worked for him for the rest of my life, I’d never be able to repay the money he spent to save me. Knuckles could have bought me instead, and my face would be black and blue at this very moment.
Conway wasn’t a saint.
But he wasn’t the devil either.
I had no other opportunities or resources. There was no hope for me to go back to America. The second I left Conway’s side, I would be vulnerable to the world all over again. Knuckles would take me the second he got the chance.
Conway would never give me the money to pay back my debts now, and even if he did, I would never take it. He’d already done enough for me.
This was my life now.
I was the property of Conway Barsetti.
His willing prisoner.
“Thank you for buying me…” I had never said the words out loud. The entire situation was fucked up. I was thanking a man who bought me to fuck me, but since he was the only decent guy in the situation, I was grateful. I would much rather be stuck with Conway than anyone else. Once you truly suffered, your perception of life changed.
Conway didn’t acknowledge my words. He kept driving with one hand on the wheel. “This is how it’s going to be. I will use you for my concepts, and you will do exactly as I say. You will not have other men—only me. I will provide for you and protect you for the rest of my life. In return, you will be my muse. Understood?”
I was the one woman he would live out his fantasies with. I would follow his orders and be exactly what he wanted me to be. My job was to please him, to inspire him. Obeying was something I would always struggle with, but I would do the best I could. After what he did for me, I owed him my life. I would give him whatever he wanted. “Yes.”
14
Sapphire
I’d been to the house before, but it was for the after party at the end of the fashion show. There had been people taking up every single inch of space, making the house and the grounds congested because there were thousands of people on the property.
Now it was empty.
A stone wall wrapped around the entrance to the property, and we had to drive at least a mile before we reached the three-story villa with the fountain in the front. Some of his land was full of vineyards, and the other part was full of perfectly manicured bushes and rose gardens. Something I hadn’t noticed the other night was the pasture where a few horses grazed. A barn sat in the distance, and a white fence kept the large beasts contained. It was dark so it was difficult to make out, but the distant light from the barn illuminated their outline.
“You have horses?”
Conway pulled into the roundabout and killed the engine.
I knew I wasn’t getting an answer.
When I got out of the car, I wrapped the jacket tighter around my body and felt the nighttime breeze move through my hair. All of my belongings had been left behind, so all I had was this jacket—and it wasn’t even mine.
A man stepped out in a purple collared shirt and navy blue slacks. He had a thick gray mustache and tanned skin. He must have been in his fifties or sixties, and judging by his fitness and sun-kissed skin, he worked hard around the property. “Good evening, Conway. I’ll take the car.”
Conway tossed him the keys.
The man caught them even though the lights from the front of the house were dim. “What are your instructions?” He didn’t make a comment about the way Conway was dressed, the fact that his shirt was missing or that I was wrapped up in his jacket. He must have seen Conway in these kind of situations before—half naked with a woman to bring inside.
“Sapphire will be staying in the Grand Guestroom. She needs a meal and something to drink.”
His servant didn’t blink at the request. “Of course, sir. Right away.”